11 expatriate workers killed in Saudi fire

RIYADH, July 13, 2017

Eleven expatriate workers were killed in Saudi Arabia's Najran when a fire ripped through the windowless house they shared, reports said.

Ten of those killed are Indians and one is a Bangladeshi.

Six others were injured in the fire which broke out due to short circuit in an old air-conditioning unit, according to preliminary information.

“Firefighters put out a blaze in an old house lacking windows for ventilation. Eleven people died of asphyxiation, and six others were injured,” in the southern province of Najran, the civil defense said in a tweet.

The workers, who belonged to a construction company, were living near a gold market area in Faisaliah district. Among the six injured workers, four were from India, Saudi Gazette reported.

The region’s governor, Prince Jluwi bin Abdelaziz bin Musaed, has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the fire incident, said an Arab News report.

The governor’s office will be supervising the committee, which will include representatives from the Civil Defense, Municipality and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, it said.

The governor expressed disappointment on the lack of control on expatriates' humble lodgings in the region, questioning the role of field inspection teams, affiliated to the municipality and civil defense, said an SPA report.